Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:32 pm on 23 January 2018.
Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement this afternoon? Of course, Transport for Wales is currently managing the procurement of the new Wales and borders rail franchise. The oversight of the awarding of this contract, I would argue, is the most important transport-related project managed by the Welsh Government to date.
Going forward, the Cabinet Secretary has outlined an ambitious expansion of the work of Transport for Wales, as he's outlined in 'Prosperity for All', the economic action plan. Now, I would support the expansion of Transport for Wales, over time. There are I think some immediate serious questions that need to be asked regarding the current level of capacity that Transport for Wales has at its disposal. I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will agree with this, but without the right capacity and skills, Transport for Wales of course runs a real, serious risk of not being able to effectively manage its current remit, nor any expanded role. So, in that guise, can I ask the Cabinet Secretary to perhaps outline some of the staffing capacity, how many current full-time employees does Transport for Wales currently employ, how many of these individuals currently have full-time contracts, and what the level is of external consultants working and employed by Transport for Wales?
I wonder whether you could also expand on your plans for the workforce, going forward, of Transport for Wales. What timescales have you got linked to additional staff coming in to Transport for Wales, and do you expect this expansion to take place in the coming months ahead as well? You've also mentioned that the chair of Transport for Wales, Nick Gregg, has been appointed for an initial 12-month basis. Can you commit to a pre-appointment hearing, prior to Mr Gregg, or any other candidate, being made a permanent chair of Transport for Wales, perhaps via a committee of this Assembly?
And finally, public confidence, of course, in Transport for Wales is absolutely essential if the organisation is to succeed going forward. Now, just prior to you standing up to give your statement, I did a Google search of 'Transport for Wales', and noticed direct contact details now on the Government's website to Transport for Wales, which weren't previously there. So, I'd be grateful if you could perhaps detail and provide some confirmation that Transport for Wales does now have a public-facing function, which it didn't have previously. Perhaps you could also confirm whether contact for Assembly Members is via yourself, or whether Assembly Members can contact Transport for Wales staff directly and meet with them directly, rather than, of course, going through yourself.